The film is set in the high-pressure world of professional cycling, where athletic ambition, competition and personal secrecy drive the story. Principal photography is scheduled to begin in fall 2026, and the specific roles for Gage and Akpobome have not yet been publicly disclosed.

The announcement is Gage’s latest confirmed film and television casting news following a highly active period in which he has appeared in or lined up prominent projects including The White Lotus, Companion, Smile 2, Road House, The People We Meet on Vacation, Rosebush Pruning, and Voicemails for Isabelle. His next major television project is the Prison Break revival series, which has progressed from a pilot to a full series order. Gage is set to star as a main character named Jackson, a politician from a wealthy background executing his first congressional campaign, alongside Emily Browning and Drake Rodger.

A Thriller About Professional Cycling

Pumping Black follows Taylor Mace, a 35-year-old professional cyclist who is beginning to age out of the sport. The character is taken under the guidance of Andrea Lathe, a doctor whose own pursuit of victory and power shapes the film’s conflict.

As Taylor’s campaign toward the Tour de France advances, he takes increasingly dark measures to protect a secret. Portman is attached to play Andrea Lathe, while Bailey is attached to play Taylor Mace.

The project has been described as being in the vein of Whiplash and Black Swan, two films associated with psychologically intense stories about performance, discipline and extreme ambition. The comparison describes the film’s tone and subject matter; it does not indicate that Pumping Black is connected to either earlier production.

The film’s cycling setting places its main conflict within an international sport whose most prominent race, the Tour de France, is central to the plot. The available descriptions do not identify whether the production will use real professional cycling teams, athletes or race locations.

Creative Team and Production

Mimi Cave is directing Pumping Black from a screenplay by Haley Hope Bartels. The producers are Stacey Sher for Shiny Penny, Cave, Sébastien Raybaud for Anton, alongside Portman and Sophie Mas for MountainA. Production is being lined up for fall 2026.

The project’s principal cast currently consists of Portman, Bailey, Gage and Akpobome. Neither Gage’s character nor Akpobome’s character has been publicly identified in the available coverage.

No release date has been announced for Pumping Black. The text also does not specify whether the film will receive a theatrical release, a streaming premiere or a combination of release formats.

Gage’s Expanding Screen Career

Gage became widely recognized for playing Dillon in the first season of The White Lotus. He has subsequently worked across film and television, including appearances in You, Euphoria, Fargo, The Last of Us, Road House, Smile 2 and Companion.

His recent projects have included Rosebush Pruning, directed by Karim Aïnouz and co-starring Elle Fanning, Callum Turner and Riley Keough, as well as the romantic comedy Voicemails for Isabelle. His attachment to the locked-in Prison Break series expands his upcoming slate alongside a recurring cast that recently added veterans like Sam Trammell and Sean Bridgers.

The new film adds another high-profile production to Gage’s announced slate while leaving the precise nature of his role undisclosed. Further information about his character, the remainder of the cast, filming locations and distribution plans will depend on later announcements from the filmmakers or production companies.

Crave announced that the series will premiere Friday, September 25, with its first two episodes, followed by a weekly release schedule of two episodes each Friday.

The announcement was accompanied by the series’ first trailer and key art, giving viewers an initial look at the show’s ensemble cast and mockumentary-style approach.

*Slo Pitch* is a half-hour comedy centered on the Brovaries, described by Crave as a lovable queer beer-league softball team attempting to overcome the odds and pursue a championship season.

The Brovaries’ Championship Bid

The story follows Coach Joanne Pico, played by Jess Salgueiro, after her long-term girlfriend ends their relationship and joins a rival softball team.

The breakup becomes a central motivation for Joanne, who decides to push the disorganized team toward a championship run despite its history of poor performance.

The series’ premise places romantic conflict, team rivalry and queer community life within the familiar setting of recreational sport.

The available descriptions identify the production as a fictional mockumentary rather than a documentary about a real softball league.

Cast and Creative Team

The announced cast includes Karen Knox, Gwenlyn Cumyn, Chelsea Muirhead, Emma Hunter, Lane Webber, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah and Amanda Cordner.

Emily Hampshire, known for Schitt’s Creek, is also part of the cast and serves as an executive producer.

The series was created by J Stevens, Karen Knox and Gwenlyn Cumyn.

*Slo Pitch* is produced by Shaftesbury in association with Crave, Boss & Co and PageBoy Productions.

Page and Matt Jordan Smith are executive producers for PageBoy Productions, while Tuck Dowrey is credited as the company’s associate producer.

The production is the first project resulting from a development partnership between Bell Media and PageBoy Productions.

From Web Series to Television

The television project is based on a short-form Slo Pitch web series that began in 2020.

The original project was created by Stevens, Knox and Cumyn before being developed into a 10-episode series for Crave.

The adaptation’s mockumentary format follows the team as it pursues success while navigating the interpersonal tensions that come with belonging to a close-knit recreational league.

The project received participation from the Bell Media Fund, the Canada Media Fund and Ontario Creates.

International Distribution

Crave also announced international distribution agreements for Slo Pitch.

Sky acquired the series for the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as for New Zealand, while HBO Max acquired it for Australia.

The agreements were secured through Sphere Abacus, a Bell Media company responsible for the distribution arrangements.

The currently announced rollout therefore covers Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia.

In Canada, the series will be available through Crave beginning September 25.

Why the Announcement Matters

The release-date announcement moves Slo Pitch from development and production into a defined broadcast and streaming schedule.

For PageBoy Productions, the series represents an early television project under its collaboration with Bell Media and a production credit focused on an LGBTQ+ ensemble and story world.

For viewers, the trailer provides the first public preview of a scripted comedy built around queer characters whose relationships, friendships and ambitions are connected to a community sports setting.

The first two episodes of Slo Pitch are scheduled for Crave on September 25, with subsequent episodes planned for Fridays.

In an interview with sports columnist Charles Hallman, Bowens said he does not have a medial collateral ligament, commonly known as the MCL, in one knee and that the right side of his meniscus is torn.

He also said that surgeons had previously cleaned up his other meniscus and that he has experienced multiple diagnosed concussions, bruised nerves in his lower back and chronic neck pain.

“The physicality is very real,” Bowens said in the interview.

“I don’t have an MCL,” he continued, before listing the meniscus injury, previous surgery, diagnosed concussions, lower-back nerve damage and chronic neck pain.

Bowens said that after a match he can feel like “an older gentleman who’s been through it all” and can struggle to get out of bed.

The interview and its wider significance

The comments were reported in August after Bowens spoke with Hallman while AEW was promoting and staging wrestling events in Minneapolis.

Coverage of the interview focused partly on Bowens’s response to the idea that professional wrestling is “mostly fake.”

Professional wrestling generally involves predetermined storylines and match outcomes, but performers execute physically demanding maneuvers in front of live audiences.

Bowens’s account addressed that distinction from the perspective of a performer who remains active despite describing substantial orthopedic, neurological and pain-related problems.

The reports did not state that Bowens had been medically cleared by a physician to compete, nor did they provide independent medical records confirming each injury.

Accordingly, the reported medical details should be understood as Bowens’s own account of his health rather than as a new independent diagnosis.

Bowens’s AEW role

Bowens has been a regular AEW performer since signing with the company in November 2020, according to WrestleTalk’s report.

He became widely known as one half of The Acclaimed alongside Max Caster, with the team winning AEW’s World Tag Team Championship.

Recent coverage identified Bowens as a member of The Opps, a group associated with Samoa Joe, HOOK and Katsuyori Shibata.

His most recently reported match before the August coverage was a July 21 victory for The Opps on the “Beantown Beatdown” special of Ring of Honor, where Bowens teamed with HOOK and Shibata.

The available reports did not announce that Bowens was withdrawing from AEW competition or taking a medical leave.

They also did not specify when the MCL injury occurred, whether it was associated with a particular match, or whether the meniscus tear would require another procedure.

A separate conversation about LGBTQ+ visibility in sport

Bowens’s injury disclosures came during the same month that he spoke publicly about Heated Rivalry, a television hockey drama centered on closeted professional athletes.

In an interview with PinkNews, Bowens said the program showed “a very authentic side of what it’s like being a closeted athlete.”

He said the series captured the experience of having to hide one’s identity and the fear associated with that concealment, while adding that the amount of sexual content was different from his own expectations.

PinkNews reported that Bowens came out as gay in 2019.

That discussion places Bowens’s public career in two connected contexts: the physical demands of his work and his visibility as an openly gay professional wrestler.

His comments about Heated Rivalry were presented as his personal assessment of the show’s depiction of closeted athletes, rather than as a claim that the program documented his own life.

What remains unconfirmed

The August reporting established that Bowens described significant injuries and ongoing pain, but it did not establish the precise clinical status of his knees, neck, back or brain health.

No report reviewed for this article cited a statement from an AEW physician, an outside medical specialist or Bowens’s treatment team.

The coverage likewise did not provide a formal timeline for recovery, details of any planned surgery or an announcement about whether Bowens would change his wrestling schedule.

The central confirmed development is therefore Bowens’s own account that he is performing while managing multiple injuries, including the absence of an MCL and a torn meniscus.

Ruffin captioned the post, “JUST EN-GAY-GED!!” The wording referenced Ruffin’s public LGBTQ identity, which she shared in a Pride-related Instagram post in 2025.

According to Ruffin’s account, the couple was in Omaha listening to musician Chad Stoner, whom she identified in her post. Friends arrived one by one with roses while Stoner played one of the couple’s songs.

Ruffin wrote that Cleary-Hammarstedt got down on one knee and proposed first. Ruffin said she had anticipated that a proposal might happen and had brought a ring of her own, allowing her to propose in return. The Sun also reported that video from the evening showed Cleary-Hammarstedt proposing and Ruffin responding with her own proposal.

“Everyone screamed and gave the roses back to @kelsich!” Ruffin wrote, describing the reaction after the second proposal. She added that the couple then sang and danced through the night, rating the celebration “1000000/10.”

The couple’s public relationship

Ruffin and Cleary-Hammarstedt have been linked publicly since 2024, although Ruffin has generally shared limited details about the relationship. The Sun reported that Cleary-Hammarstedt uses they/them pronouns.

The engagement follows Ruffin’s previous marriage to Dutch artist Jan Schiltmeijer. People reported that the former couple had been married for 13 years and divorced in December 2023.

Ruffin publicly identified herself as queer in June 2024. In that post, NBC News reported, Ruffin used humor while expressing pride in her identity.

Ruffin’s entertainment career

Ruffin is a comedian, writer and television performer. She has worked as a writer for Late Night with Seth Meyers since 2014, according to People.

She later hosted The Amber Ruffin Show, a late-night variety program that premiered on Peacock. NBC News described her as a former late-night television host in its report on her 2024 coming-out announcement.

Ruffin is also a team captain on the U.S. version of Have I Got News for You, according to People. The program is a news-comedy format in which performers discuss current events.

Her work has also included theater. NPR reported in February 2026 that Ruffin co-created Bigfoot! The Musical, an off-Broadway production developed with Kevin Sciretta. NPR described the musical as a story about belonging and people who have been treated as outsiders.

A celebration shared on Ruffin’s terms

The engagement announcement was presented through Ruffin’s own social-media account, with the comedian choosing to share both the proposal and the immediate celebration. The account characterized the event as mutual: Cleary-Hammarstedt proposed first, and Ruffin responded with a proposal of her own.

Neither the reports reviewed for this article specified a wedding date or location. The reports also did not state whether the couple has made additional wedding plans public.

For now, the confirmed news is the engagement itself and the unusual sequence that led to it: a proposal from Cleary-Hammarstedt, a counter-proposal from Ruffin, and a celebration with friends, roses, music, singing and dancing in Omaha.

The comments appear in a forthcoming episode of Tea with Judi Dench, a Sky Arts programme in which McKellen talks with fellow actor Dame Judi Dench about his life and career.

According to a preview reported by PinkNews, McKellen said he had reread letters from his father, Denis Murray McKellen, the night before recording the programme.

The letter McKellen discussed was written for his 21st birthday and conveyed affection, pride and reassurance, according to the actor’s account in the programme.

McKellen said he already understood his sexuality at 21 and described the discovery of accepting himself as one of the most important experiences of his life.

He also said that his father was one of the first people with whom he should have discussed it, but that he did not do so.

Reflecting on the years he spent hiding his sexuality from his family, McKellen characterized that silence as a waste of time and identified it as a lasting regret.

The Television Special

The episode is scheduled to air on Monday, August 31, on Sky Arts, Freeview and the streaming service NOW.

Sky’s official announcement says the programme will cover McKellen’s coming out, his role in opposition to Section 28 and his regret about never telling his parents the truth about himself.

The broadcaster described McKellen and Dench’s conversation as a discussion of their lives on stage and away from it.

A trailer released by Sky also presents the interview as a conversation about personal history, public advocacy and the choices that shaped McKellen’s life.

The programme’s focus on McKellen’s family experience places his comments within a broader account of coming out as a gay man while many LGBTQ+ people in Britain faced significant legal and social pressure.

Coming Out in the Context of Section 28

McKellen came out publicly as gay in 1988, the same year that Section 28 was introduced through the Local Government Act 1988.

Section 28 restricted local authorities from intentionally promoting homosexuality and prevented schools maintained by those authorities from presenting homosexuality as an acceptable family relationship.

The legislation was widely associated with the suppression of LGBTQ+ visibility and discussion in schools and public institutions.

McKellen has discussed his decision to come out as a public act during that period, when opposition to Section 28 became an important part of his activism.

The forthcoming programme will return to that activism alongside the more intimate subject of his relationship with his parents.

Public Advocacy and Private Regret

McKellen’s comments distinguish between public visibility and private disclosure: he became an outspoken gay public figure, but did not tell his parents about his sexuality before their deaths.

Sky’s announcement refers to both of McKellen’s parents when describing the regret explored in the episode.

PinkNews’ account focuses specifically on McKellen’s father and the birthday letter that prompted his reflection.

The episode therefore presents coming out not as a single public event, but as an experience involving self-acceptance, family relationships and the timing of personal disclosure.

McKellen’s account does not suggest that every LGBTQ+ person should come out to family members, and the reported comments are framed as his own reflection on a decision he wishes he had made.

That distinction is significant because coming out remains a personal decision shaped by safety, family circumstances and individual readiness.

Why the Interview Matters Now

The preview has drawn attention because it combines a well-known public story about LGBTQ+ activism with a previously private family regret.

McKellen’s appearance also places his personal history in a programme built around a conversation with Dench, a longtime colleague and fellow British theatre and screen performer.

The reported exchange offers a record of how McKellen now interprets his early understanding of his sexuality and the silence that surrounded it.

It also connects his personal story with the political conditions that helped make his public coming out consequential, including the campaign against Section 28.

The full conversation will be available when Tea with Judi Dench airs on August 31.

Jenner appeared on the Aug. 26 episode of “Better Half with Stas & Vic,” a podcast hosted by her longtime friends Anastasia “Stassie” Karanikolaou and Victoria Villarroel.

During the conversation, Jenner said she has become used to people developing their own narratives about her personal life.

"I think that I’m so used to people creating their own narrative that I actually have to just laugh about it,” Jenner said, according to E! News’ account of the episode.

She added that she does not feel compelled to respond to every claim circulating online.

People think I’m pregnant right now, at least I saw some things, and I’m like, well, I’m not gonna address everything,” Jenner said...

Jenner said during the podcast, according to E! News.

Jenner said she assumes that people will eventually learn whether a rumor is accurate, rather than expecting her to address each one directly.

“I just don’t feel the need to say anything ever,” she said, according to Us Weekly’s report.

What Jenner Said About Responding to Rumors

Jenner also explained that she may allow public appearances or social-media posts to dispel speculation without issuing a formal statement.

“I’m not going to address everything ’cause it’s, like, I’m going to be in a bikini somewhere, or I’m going to be out and the rumors will be squashed,” she said, according to E! News.

The remarks were presented as Jenner’s response to speculation, not as an announcement of a pregnancy.

Neither the podcast episode listing nor the reports from E! News, Us Weekly and Page Six identifies a confirmed pregnancy announcement from Jenner during the episode.

Discussion of Future Children

Rather than discussing future family expansion on the podcast, Jenner pivoted to a lighthearted conversation about her body image as she approaches her 30th birthday next year.Jenner openly discussed her past breast augmentation, joking about her desire for a more dramatic change in the future."I want my tits to walk in before I do," Jenner joked during the episode, expressing a humorous obsession with getting larger implants before she turns 30.The hosts laughed along with the remarks, framing the conversation as a candid look at Jenner's personal aesthetic preferences rather than a declaration of immediate lifestyle or family changes.

Family and Relationship Context

Jenner is the parent of Stormi Webster and Aire Webster, whom she shares with former partner Travis Scott.

E! News identified Timothée Chalamet as Jenner’s boyfriend in its report on the podcast discussion.

The reports did not say that Chalamet or Scott had confirmed the pregnancy speculation.

The podcast appearance was hosted by Karanikolaou and Villarroel, who described the episode as a conversation about the person they know beyond Jenner’s public image.

The episode listing says that Karanikolaou has known Jenner since 2009 and that Villarroel previously worked for her.

The episode was listed as 48 minutes long and published Aug. 26, 2026.

A Familiar Pattern of Public Scrutiny

Jenner’s comments reflect the continuing attention directed toward her relationships, family and appearance.

Us Weekly described the latest episode as another instance in which Jenner addressed pregnancy speculation surrounding her.

The outlet reported that Jenner has previously faced pregnancy rumors and that she now treats the cycle with humor rather than responding to every allegation.

E! News similarly reported that Jenner characterized the speculation as a narrative created by other people.

The coverage does not provide independent evidence that Jenner is pregnant.

As of the latest reports, the verifiable development is Jenner’s decision to discuss the rumor publicly, alongside her stated lack of interest in addressing every piece of online speculation.

Why the Comments Matter

Pregnancy claims about public figures can quickly move from social-media speculation into mainstream entertainment coverage.

In this case, Jenner’s own comments provide the clearest available account of how she regards the latest rumor.

She said she laughs at the narratives and may let later public appearances settle them rather than issuing repeated denials.

Her separate comments about not wanting to have another child immediately should not be treated as a permanent statement about her future family plans.

The available reporting supports only the conclusion that Jenner denied the current speculation by explaining that she is not pregnant, while declining to engage with every rumor in detail.

The episode, titled “Correctamundo, Tro,” features Sivan in conversation with hosts Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang about pop music, celebrity, performance, internet culture and the creative process behind his upcoming fourth studio album, She’s the Best.

The interview arrived less than two weeks after Sivan announced the album and released its title track on August 14. She’s the Best is scheduled for release on October 9, 2026.

Cultural Impact Over First-Week Sales

The central theme of the discussion was Sivan’s stated disinterest in judging the new record primarily through its opening-week sales figures.

“I honest to God could not tell you what my first-week sales ,” Sivan said, according to Billboard. “I’ve just never really been numbers-minded when it comes to music stuff.”

Sivan instead identified cultural longevity as the outcome he most wants from the project.

“The heartbreaking thing, like rather than it only however many thousand or whatever, would be if it went by without any sort of cultural impact,” he said. “I would be devastated.”

The comments place the album’s ambitions beyond conventional chart performance, although Sivan did not reject commercial success or provide a prediction for how the album will perform.

He described the project as a record he hopes will remain meaningful to him decades from now, saying he wanted to look back on the work of “31-year-old Troye” with pride.

The Sound of She’s the Best

Sivan characterized She’s the Best as a concentrated expression of the musical references that shaped him.

He cited Janet Jackson’s “Together Again,” late-1990s grunge-pop associated with Marcy Playground, and Fatboy Slim as influences on the album’s sound.

Sivan contrasted the new material with the stated goal of his previous album, Something to Give Each Other, which he described as an attempt to make “perfect pop.”

For the new project, he said the creative process moved toward something more chaotic, layered and expressive.

He also said he made much of the album at home with his younger brother.

The title track was released on August 14 as the album’s lead single.

Its music video stars Nicole Kidman and was directed by Gordon von Steiner.

The video marks another collaboration between Sivan and von Steiner, who previously worked together on the videos for “Rush” and “One of Your Girls.”

Apple Music lists She’s the Best as a 13-song pop album scheduled for October 9 and identifies Interscope Records as the project’s label through an exclusive license.

A Deliberately Short Rollout

Sivan said the album’s rollout would be relatively quick because he wants listeners to experience the full project rather than spend an extended period dissecting individual songs before the record is available.

He said the album is best heard “top to bottom” and described it as “a journey.”

That approach sets the project apart from release strategies built around long campaigns of successive singles, teasers and promotional announcements, although Sivan did not provide a complete schedule for the remaining rollout.

The album is Sivan’s first full-length release since 2023’s Something to Give Each Other.

That earlier album reached No. 20 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Albums chart, while “Rush” and “One of Your Girls” appeared on the Billboard Hot 100.

Gender, Internet Discourse and the “Khia Asylum”

The conversation also turned to the online phrase “Khia Asylum,” a meme-like expression used in some corners of stan culture to describe pop artists regarded by internet users as unsuccessful, uncool or no longer culturally relevant.

Sivan argued that the rhetoric is applied unevenly, particularly when comparing women in pop music with male artists.

“Pop girls have it really bad,” Sivan said while discussing what he viewed as a gendered double standard in online pop commentary.

Coverage of the interview described Sivan’s point as a criticism of the way female artists can be subjected to intensified scrutiny over chart results, public image and perceived relevance.

The phrase itself is not a formal music-industry category, and reporting identified it as internet shorthand rather than an actual institution or place.

Sivan’s comments connected that online debate to the larger question of how pop success is measured and who is permitted to make mistakes without being declared culturally finished.

Why the Appearance Matters

The Las Culturistas episode is significant because it combines promotion for a major forthcoming album with a broader discussion of cultural memory, gendered criticism and the speed of online judgment.

Sivan’s stated priority is not simply to reproduce the commercial performance of his previous era, but to create work that listeners remember and revisit.

The album’s first public stage is therefore a podcast conversation in which the artist discussed both the mechanics of pop promotion and the cultural standards applied to pop performers.

She’s the Best will be released October 9, with its title track and accompanying Kidman-starring video already available.

Until the album is released, Sivan’s intended measure of success remains clear: whether the music creates a lasting impression rather than merely producing a notable opening-week number.

The actor discussed the drawing in an interview with Entertainment Tonight while promoting Practical Magic 2, the upcoming sequel in which she reprises her role as Frances “Franny” Owens. The interview was reported on August 27, 2026, after Channing attended the sequel’s European premiere in London the previous day.

When the interviewer showed Channing the Grease illustration, the actor reacted bluntly: “That’s even worse than I remember.” She then added, “Look at that,” before agreeing that the drawing had treated her appearance unfairly.

“I felt the same way,” Channing said when asked about the criticism. She later described the image as “my nightmare vision of self.”

The Drawing’s Place in Grease

Grease, released in 1978, stars Channing as Rizzo, the leader of the Pink Ladies, alongside John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The film opens with an animated sequence that introduces its central characters through stylized illustrations before the live-action story begins.

The Rizzo drawing has attracted criticism from viewers who consider it a particularly unflattering depiction of Channing. During the Entertainment Tonight interview, Channing specifically pointed to the caricature’s treatment of her cheeks.

Channing characterized the artwork as “unfortunate,” a description that aligned her own view with the long-running criticism from fans. The response has drawn attention because the illustration has remained part of one of the most recognizable opening sequences in American film musical history.

The current discussion concerns the animated representation rather than Channing’s live-action performance. Channing has continued to describe herself as proud of the film while distinguishing that pride from her feelings about the drawing.

“I’m Very Proud of It, but I Don’t Watch It”

Channing also said that she has watched Grease only twice. She recalled seeing it once at the film’s opening at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and again approximately 20 years later at the same venue.

“I do not watch it,” Channing said when explaining her relationship with the film today. “I’m very proud of it, but I don’t watch it,” she added.

Channing’s comments do not indicate that she regrets playing Rizzo. Instead, they reflect a distinction between her continuing pride in the role and her discomfort with an image that she believes presents her appearance negatively.

Rizzo remains one of Channing’s most widely recognized screen roles. The character is portrayed in Grease as a sharp-tongued, self-possessed member of the Pink Ladies whose storyline includes conflict, vulnerability and anxiety about social judgment.

The Practical Magic 2 Connection

Channing’s remarks were made as she promoted Practical Magic 2, in which she returns as Frances Owens. The sequel continues the story of the Owens family introduced in the 1998 film Practical Magic, which starred Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman.

Dianne Wiest is also returning for the sequel as Aunt Jet, while Joey King, Lee Pace, Maisie Williams, Xolo Maridueña and Solly McLeod are among the actors joining the cast. The film is scheduled for a theatrical release on September 11, 2026.

On August 26, Channing attended the European premiere at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London. The appearance was reported as her first red-carpet event in two years.

The premiere brought renewed media attention to Channing’s career, including her work in Grease and her return to the Practical Magic franchise. The caricature comments subsequently became a separate point of discussion because they offered Channing’s own assessment of an image audiences have debated for decades.

A Belated Assessment of a Familiar Image

The episode illustrates how a brief visual element can become part of a performer’s public identity long after a film’s release. In Channing’s case, the drawing appears alongside an acclaimed and enduring performance that has kept Rizzo central to discussions of Grease.

Channing did not call for the sequence to be removed or altered. Her comments were instead personal and direct: she acknowledged that the caricature’s appearance had bothered her and said she shared the concerns expressed by viewers.

Nearly five decades after Grease premiered, Channing’s reaction has given the familiar image a new point of reference: the perspective of the actor it was intended to represent.

Speaking during a recent promotional appearance, Pearce described the dates as a projection rather than a confirmed production schedule. “We’ll probably shoot it ’27. It’ll come out ’28,” Pearce said while discussing the sequel.

The actor has also said that the film is not yet fully ready to enter production, citing the need to raise money and finalize the screenplay. Those conditions mean that a 2028 release remains a target rather than an announced release date.

The update was reported in August by the Star Observer Digital Spy and Australian Women’s Weekly, which each connected Pearce’s remarks to the continuing development of the sequel.

A Sequel More Than 30 Years in the Making

The original Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was released in 1994 and was written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The film follows three performers travelling across the Australian Outback in a bus named Priscilla.

The central characters are Bernadette Bassenger, a transgender woman played by Terence Stamp, and drag performers Adam Whitely, played by Pearce, and Anthony “Tick” Belrose, played by Weaving. The film became internationally recognized for its combination of road-movie storytelling, comedy, music and drag performance.

The movie has also remained significant within LGBTQ+ popular culture because it placed queer characters and drag performers at the center of a commercially visible Australian film. Its ongoing cultural reach has included stage adaptations and continued screenings, although those developments are separate from the proposed film sequel.

What Is Known About the Follow-Up

Elliott announced in 2024 that he was developing a sequel and expected to return as its writer, director and producer. At that time, Elliott said the original principal cast members were attached to return, including Stamp, Weaving and Pearce. Variety likewise reported that the project was seeking a production partner and financial backing.

The current reporting indicates that financing remains an unresolved part of the project. Pearce’s comments also suggest that the screenplay is still being finalized, despite earlier reports that Elliott had completed a script.

That difference may reflect changes made during development, but the sources do not establish why the script is still described as unfinished. The project’s final title, production company, budget, distributor and confirmed release date have not been reported in the recent coverage reviewed for this article.

The Question of Terence Stamp’s Involvement

While Stamp, who played Bernadette in the original film, passed away at age 87 in August 2025, his participation in the sequel has been definitively confirmed. Following his death, director Stephan Elliott revealed to Deadline that Stamp spent the final months of his life pre-filming all of his scenes as Bernadette.The actor was initially hesitant about a sequel but agreed after receiving assurances about the script's direction. To protect the integrity of the performance and avoid the use of digital or AI clones, Stamp worked with Elliott to completely capture his character's material on camera before his passing.As a result, Bernadette will appear in the film through newly captured, authentic footage rather than archival clips or special effects, making the sequel Stamp's final screen role. This pre-filmed contribution preserves the core dynamic of the original trio alongside surviving leads Weaving and Pearce.

Why the Update Matters

The proposed sequel would revisit a film that has maintained a prominent place in queer cinema and Australian screen culture for more than three decades. The original movie’s focus on a transgender woman and two drag performers helped make its characters recognizable to audiences well beyond Australia.

The new update is notable because it comes from Pearce, rather than only from an earlier statement by Elliott. His comments provide a possible production window while simultaneously making clear that the project still depends on practical steps behind the scenes.

For now, the most supportable conclusion is that the sequel remains in development, with Pearce expecting a possible 2027 shoot and 2028 release. No production start, completed financing package or locked release date has been publicly confirmed by the sources cited here.